|
CUBA: BOXING GLORY LOST...
Part 2 of a 5 Part Series
Today’s Profile: Benny
“Kid” Paret
The Cuban government’s
abolishment of professional sports in 1960 had an immediate
and
profound impact on the country’s sporting landscape, forever
changing the history of boxing in the island nation.
This unexpected change in
political philosophy led to the exodus of Cuba’s top
professional boxers seeking their fame and fortune on foreign
soil. Among those deciding to continue their professional
careers outside of Cuba were Ultiminio “Sugar” Ramos,
Benny “Kid” Paret, Luis Manuel Rodriguez and Jose
“Mantequilla” Napoles.
Each one would ultimately reach the pinnacle of
their sport by winning a World Championship, and all except
Paret were later inducted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Benny “Kid” Paret
began his boxing career in Cuba in 1954 at the tender age of
17-years old. Not noted as a hard puncher, this crowd-pleasing fighter was an excellent boxer who always exhibited
tremendous courage in the ring. However, his relentless
fighting style, his will to win and his courage were all
ultimately contributing factors to his tragic death at the age
of twenty five in New York City’s fabled
Madison Square Garden.
Leaving his native Cuba after
the abolition of professional boxing, Paret
settled in Miami, Florida. Due mostly to his exciting style
of fighting, he quickly became a crowd favorite in Miami
and New York, the cities where most of his fights were held.
By early 1960, he had accumulated a record of 32 wins (9 by
KO), 7 losses and 3 draws, rising to the top of the
welterweight division. He had fought some of the world’s most
notable fighters, such as Luis Manuel Rodriguez,
Gaspar “Indian” Ortega, Charley Scott,
Federico Thompson and Jose Torres.
He fought to a draw with Torres, who years later
would become world light heavyweight champion and was a future
Hall of Famer. The fight took place in Torres’
native Puerto Rico, and it was reportedly a questionable
decision with some accounts leaning towards a Paret
victory.
Paret was
finally rewarded with a world title fight against Don
Jordan, the World Welterweight Champion, in May 1960
in Las Vegas, Nevada. After fifteen rounds of
fighting, Paret reached the pinnacle of his
sport by winning a clear decision and thus becoming the new
World Welterweight Champion. With this win, Benny “Kid”
Paret had the distinction of becoming only the
third Cuban boxer to win a world title, being preceded by the
legendary “Kid Chocolate” and “Kid Gavilan.”
After one
successful defense of his title, Paret would now
embark on the beginning of a three bout series against a young
welterweight contender named Emile Griffith.
Originally from St. Thomas, Virgin Island,
Griffith began his boxing career in New York and
had amassed a record of 22 wins and only two losses. He had
established a large fan base in New York and quickly elevated
himself as a top television attraction due to his outstanding
boxing skills. He had defeated such notable names as
Gaspar “Indian” Ortega, Denny Moyer,
Florentino Fernandez and Luis Manuel
Rodriguez. His win over Rodriguez was
his signature victory, having inflicted the first loss on
Rodriguez’ perfect record of 35 wins with no
losses. This win propelled Griffith to his
challenge of Paret for the Welterweight title.
Before a national television
audience and a large Cuban, pro-Paret crowd in
Miami Beach, Florida, Griffith defeated
Paret by a 13th round knockout. A perfect
left hook by Griffith earned him the
Welterweight championship of the world, and catapulted his
brilliant career that would ultimately result in his Hall of
Fame induction. A rematch between the fighters took place a
few months later in Madison Square Garden, New
York, this time with Griffith as the defending
champion. A somewhat close, controversial split decision
victory was awarded to Paret, who had now
regained his prized title. In hindsight, many critics would
later point to this disputed decision that favored Paret
as the catalyst to a third, tragic fight between the now
bitter rivals.
Having regained his
Welterweight title, Paret and his manager now
set their sights on a larger prize, the Middleweight
championship of the world. The current champion, Gene
Fullmer, was wildly recognized as a tough, bruising
fighter that had defeated the best fighters in the division.
His recent wins over Carmen Basilio, Sugar
“Ray” Robinson and the hard punching Cuban
Florentino Fernandez stamped Fullmer as
a clear favorite to defeat Paret. In spite of
the usual courageous showing by Paret, the
physically superior Fullmer finally knocked out
the smaller challenger in the 10th round, after
having knocked down Paret three times in the
round. The fight proved to be an ill conceived contest, as
the champion administered Paret a frightful
beating, one that would surely have long-term lingering
affects.
Three months after the
Fullmer loss, Paret once again agreed
to defend his Welterweight crown against his nemesis,
Emile Griffith at New York’s Madison Square
Garden. Having split their two previous contests,
the bitter rivalry became even more volatile after an incident
at the pre-fight weigh in. Paret openly and
loudly questioned Griffith’s sexual preference
by using a derogatory Spanish terminology, which
Griffith understood. The fighters had to be kept
apart as an irate Griffith threatened to attack
a now laughing Paret. The fire had been lit
and the stage was set for the highly anticipated fight.
The evening had arrived and the
battle was on. Nearing the end of the sixth round of a
fiercely fought contest, Paret delivered a
devastating left hook to Griffith’s chin,
sending him to the canvas. The bell ending the round appeared
to have saved a visibly hurt Griffith from a
possible loss, and only his excellent physical condition and
determination allowed him to recover. The rounds that
followed were fought at a feverish pace by these two proud
warriors, with neither fighter backing down from his opponent.
The bell to begin the fateful
twelfth round sounded, and unknown to any of the fans in
attendance and the millions of viewers across the nation, it
signaled the beginning of a history altering set of events.
With approximately two minutes gone in the round, a powerful
combination of punches delivered by Griffith
sent a hurt Paret reeling backwards towards the
ropes. Realizing he had his opponent hurt, Griffith
viciously delivered countless punches directly to
Paret’s head at a rapid, frantic pace. Paret
had become trapped in a corner, and with his head caught
between the top two ropes, was unable to fall to the canvas.
The referee finally intervened, and a severely injured
Paret collapsed onto the ring canvas, his seemingly
lifeless body breathing at a grotesque and alarmingly rapid
pace. A suddenly silent crowd held its collective breath as
medical personnel were administering to an injured Paret.
The unresponsive fighter was quickly taken from the ring in a
stretcher and driven to a nearby hospital, obviously in a very
delicate condition.
Paret
underwent an emergency operation to relieve pressure from his
brain, and his condition remained critical in the days that
followed. Ten days later, with family and friends by his side
in a constant vigil, Paret finally succumbed to
his injuries having never regained consciousness. He was
survived by his wife and only son.
His death triggered a familiar
outcry from boxing abolitionists demanding that the cruel,
inhumane sport of boxing be outlawed. They also threaten the
sport with possible legislation aimed to abolish it. After
the initial backlash to Paret’s passing had
subsided, boxing had once again survived its critics and
continued to flourish in its ever-growing popularity.
The decision to leave his
native Cuba years earlier in continuance of his professional
career allowed Benny “Kid” Paret to reach the
pinnacle of his sport and forever have his name etched into
the boxing record books, although his short career ended
tragically with his ring death.
The sporting community in Cuba
was deprived of an opportunity to rightfully celebrate and
acknowledge Paret’s achievements due to the
government’s hard-line stance against professional sports in
their country. They also missed the opportunity to publicly
mourn their native son upon his death.
~Next Profile, Part 3: Luis Manuel Rodriguez~
10-1-2008
|
